Perpetual Motion
by Strike To Incinerate
Summary: [Chae Lim x Rock Howard][Post2k6] Chae Lim is sent to Second Southtown to run the US branch of Kim's dojo. As she and Rock become friends, Rock finds himself dissatisfied with his relationship with B.Jenet...
1. Start in Life

"text" is speaking.

'text' is thinking.

-- indicates a skip in time.

--

"Rock! Take out the goddamned trash!"

Rock groaned, quite unwilling to drag himself out of bed now that he'd been bitched at. He was a romantic guy; so, despite the fact that his girlfriend had always been more in-love with his adoptive father than him, he had moved out of the apartment he'd shared with Terry for most of his life, and into one in the center of Second Southtown with Jennie Behrn.

Usually, she was called B. Jenet.

Even more frequently by Rock's friends, she was called Bitch Jenet.

Of course, he was careful never to let her hear that, because he was not going to have his girlfriend stabbing one of his best friends with one of those purple stilettos.

Life didn't seem so romantic, the more he thought about it.

--

After he'd taken out the trash, Jennie had sent him out for errands while she did whatever she did when he wasn't home. She probably harrassed Mary and Terry or something, but he would never know. He never bothered to ask. It didn't seem important, and he had never questioned her faithfulness.

'Maybe', he thought, 'questions aren't such a bad thing.'

He shook his head as he pulled his jacket on one arm at a time. It was a beautiful autumn day in Second Southtown, but it was only about 40 degrees Farenheit.

'Jen would never cheat on me. I'm just being stupid...' he reminded himself.

He stuffed his hands into his pockets, his eyes wandering as his feet carried him down the sidewalk. He could see a basketball court across the street, and his fingers flexed, itching to dribble a ball and practice some three point shots. He watched the kids playing, unaware of where he was walking.

Everyone knows that as soon as your not paying attention, you bump into something. Or, in Rock's case, someone.

"Oh, sorry..." he looked over, crimson eyes wide for a moment.

The young woman smiled at him, and she couldn't have been much older than himself, he mused. She had black hair, with one silver streak in the bangs, and dark grey eyes. 'Just like the Don... well, not the eyes so much, but the hair, definetly,' he thought.

"It's no problem..." she said kindly, and let him walk past her, continuing on his way.

Not a minute had passed before she was walking beside him.

"What a sec!" She looked up into his face. She looked Asian... probably a tourist waiting for the KOF season. "I know you!"

"Uh... probably..." he replied, a bit confused by her enthusiasm. He had been shown on a few posters billing the tournament, and he never did too badly, but he wasn't a major star. Not like Kusanagi or Yagami or Terry were.

"No! I'm serious!" she insisted, and suddenly, her cheeks pinked. "Ah... I'm not trying to bug you or anything, but you're Master Terry's son, right?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yeah..." it wasn't uncommon for people to refer to him that way; Terry was the only father he knew.

She smiled. "I'm Chae Lim... I think we fought each other in the 2005 and 2006 tournaments..." Like the blond, she had stuffed her hands into her pockets as she walked.

"Chae Lim...?" The name sounded caguely familiar. He probably had fought her, but even so... he wasn't good with names after only one match.

"It's alright if you don't remember," she assured him. He liked her patience with his leaky memory. It was refreshing, unlike his girlfriend, who yelled about everything little thing he forgot. "I'm Master Kim's student... one of them, anyway."

"Oh!" Now he remembered. She was the third of Kim's students he had encountered; the first two being Kim's sons during the Maximum Mayhem tournament. Apparently, Kim had 6 or 7 students in total who competed regularly in fighting tournaments, and none of them were to be taken lightly. "It's nice to see you again... sorry I, uh... forgot... I'm not too good with names..." he apologized, one hand leaving his pocket to rub at the back of his neck.

She shook her head, blowing the silvery strands out of her eyes. "Like I said, it's okay. Rock Howard, right?" she guessed.

So maybe she wasn't too good with names, either.

--

They had talked. Nothing too deep, just light chit-chat as they walked down the street. 'How's life?' and 'Been in any tournaments recently?', with a bit of 'Oh, how's Jae Hoon and Dong Hwan? There's another girl in your pack, right?'. That one had made her laugh, and she had told him all about May Lee.

They had walked right past the grocery store Rock usually went to, but he didn't mind. He was enjoying himself. That didn't happen often, unless he had a basketball or a beer in hand.

"Hey... um..." Chae began awkwardly. "Could I maybe get your number? I don't know many people in Southtown... I could use a friend."

Rock instantly thought of Jennie. 'Why should she care? She's got a whole crew who's entirely male. Chae's nice...' He nodded. 'Besides, can't leave a girl hanging. That's rude...' That thought made him feel better about Jenet's possible reaction. He scrawled down the number for his home phone on her hand, because neither of them had a piece of paper. He laughed at his messy handwriting.

"There," he handed the marker back to her. "Why're you in town anyway, Chae? The KOF isn't for another month..." he asked, looking up at her as she started to climb the steps to her apartment.

She turned and gave him another smile. "Oh... Master Kim asked me to look over the Southtown gym... Dong Hwan's backpacking across Japan, and May Lee and Jae Hoon are helping in Korea... you know how it is."

He nodded, although he had no clue. "Sounds like fun."

She chuckled, but not whole-heartedly. "It's a lot of work... but I like it. See you around, Rock..." she went inside, and he headed back towards the grocery store.

--

"Took you long enough..." She was leaning against the doorway of the bedroom, her arms folded across her chest, and her long blond hair concealing her cleavage from him.

"Ran into an old friend," Rock replied, setting the paper bags on the counter and starting to put away the groceries. As usual, she didn't offer any help.

"Really? Who?" she asked, trying to play it innocent.

'Well... It's not like I didn't expect it... I even tried to talk myself out of it...' Rock thought. He glanced over at her. "Chae Lim."

"Oh... where'd you meet him?" she asked. Her tone wasn't accusatory, but it was close.

"I met her at the KOF a few years ago..." he replied, heading to the fridge to get some orange juice. She followed him, leaning on the door.

He gazed down into her blue eyes. Yeah, she was jealous. "Oh, really? An ex-flame just happened to come sweeping back into town while you were out grocery shopping..." she said, still feigning nonchalance.

"She's not an old flame. I fought her at the 2005 tournament," he replied, growing testy. "Why are you getting on my case about this?" he asked, shutting the door a little harder than he meant to.

"Christ..." she turned and headed back to the bedroom. "I was just curious."

As he tilted his head back and took a swig of his drink, the telephone rang.

A moment later, Jennie called out to the kitchen. "Your old flame's on the line."

--

"Hey... I hate to bother you, Rock..." she began. He could almost see her biting her lip, looking bored and a little homesick and feeling guilty about calling him.

"Nah, it's okay, Chae. What's up?" he asked, leaning back against the counter, near the sink.

"I didn't know you had a girlfriend," she stated a little more confidently.

"Well... I didn't tell you. Why's it matter?" he glanced over to the bedroom. Jenet was lying on the bed, one leg crossed over the other, chewing her gum loudly and deliberately as she pawed through a fashion magazine.

"Oh, well... I probably wouldn't have asked for your number..." she replied.

That took him back. "Why? Because of Jen?" he asked.

"Well, she's your girlfriend and all..."

"We're friends. Friends have each other's numbers." He could feel Jennie glaring at him. "So, you needed something?"

"Just wondering if you wanted to go out for a cup of coffee..." she replied.

"Yeah, sure. When?" he asked.

"Tomorrow, around noon, maybe?" she ventured.

"Sounds good. You caught my day off," he smiled.

"Alright... see ya then. You know where the Pao Pao Cafe is?" she asked.

"Yup. I kind of know the woman that owns it..."

"Same here. Kinda..." she chuckled. He liked the sound. It was a pleasant change from Jennie's yelling.

'She's my girl. Sometimes, I deserve it,' he thought.

"See ya, Chae," he pressed the end button and went into the bedroom to put the phone on the reciever. 


	2. Reaction

**Perpetual Motion  
Chapter Two**

**by: Strike To Incinerate**

A/N: I completed this chapter a while ago... but, I haven't gotten too many reviews (actually, just two) so, I've been lazy. To the people that did review...

Blood-Riot-Yagami: Thank you! I try very hard. I think I've got Chae and Rock in character. I hope so, anyways. They make an adorable pairing.

Note: No matter how I portray B. Jenet in this fanfiction, I LOVE HER. She's really spunky and... funny. I love how she hits on Rock and Terry in 2k6. And how she beats people with her shoe -heart Shoe-Smacking.-

blankedty: Thank you for the review, even though I would've liked more than one word. v.v;

And, yes, to you lurkers out there... the more reviews I get, the faster I update. Sorry I was lazy with this one. Onto the chapter!

--

"So... what did Chae Lim want?" The way Jennie said her name vaguely reminded him of the evil stepmother talking about Snow White.

He grinned. What an analogy...

"Coffee... I agreed to go hang out with her tomorrow..." he replied, turning to start washing the dishes.

"What? Why?" Her voice had a mild hint of panic and a moderate hint of anger.

"Because, she's new in town... she's only been here for the KOF... She doesn't really know anybody..." he replied. It was almost sweet, the way she was getting so worked up about Chae Lim.

Almost sweet. It was more annoying.

"Yeah, so? Why can't you have pushed her off on one of your friends?" Jenet asked, pressing her hands to the counter top. "Your friend Soiree is a ladies-man, isn't he? Why can't he take her out for coffee?" she persisted.

Rock had the sudden urge to demand, 'Why can't I have a life?' but he held his tongue. His day had been pretty good, and he didn't want to throw it down the drain like yesterday's spaghetti.

'Well, that was kind of poetic...' he mused to himself.

He finally answered her, wiping down a plate with a damp sponge, "Soiree is a ladies-man... and I don't like Chae will appreciate being hit on. She's just a friend, okay?"

He dropped the sponge, wrapping an arm around his girlfriend. Even as he bent his head to kiss her, he knew neither of them were too sure...

--

"Hey, King." Rock smiled to the owner of one-half of the Pao Pao Cafe. King was a pleasant woman, a bartender by trade and a master of Muay Thai by discipline, and also one of Mary's best friends. Ever since he was little, she'd been like a big sister to him, slipping him free pastries and giving him sodas whenever Southtown's sweethearts dropped in.

"Hey, Rock..." she reached out and ruffled his hair, like she usually did. She'd had practice at being a big sister, and like Jan, Rock was a good kid who had bad luck. "Chae's sitting over there."

She pointed to a table by the window.

"Thanks, King..." he said, smiling at her, and making his way to the table.

"Hey, you treat her nice, got it?" she teased. She knew that he'd been with Jennie for almost two years, and that they had a strong relationship.

He thought.

He sat down across from her. She'd chosen a pair of ripped jeans and a vest, half-zipped up and black and silver, like her hair, with a white shirt beneath it.

"Hey Rock..." She was sipping a soda.

"I thought we were going to have coffee," he joked.

"Ah, well... I don't really like coffee," she replied.

"Here Rock. You still like Root Beer?" A tall black man asked.

Rock smiled at him. "Thanks, Richard," he said, taking the drink from him.

"You kids have fun..." Richard said with a wink, then walked off.

"Hey!" Rock called after him, earning a giggle from his companion. "So, uh, how do you know King...?" he asked her.

"Oh. You remember May Lee?" she asked. He nodded. "Well, she asked May Lee to take her place on the Women's Team a few years back. She calls the gym in Korea sometimes to check up on her..." Apparently, being a member of the Women's Team was like a club; once you were in, you stayed tight with the other girls.

"Oh. Yeah. Mary and King are pretty tight..." he replied. "You okay? You sounded a little anxious over the phone..."

She blushed slightly. "Oh... I just wanted to hang out, I guess."

"You homesick?" he asked.

She nodded. "A little."

"I could tell. You keep mentioning May Lee..." he replied. She looked down. "He-hey! Cheer up! I didn't mean it that way..." he said quickly, ashamed that he had offended her, even on accident.

"Nah, you're right, I miss them all, a lot," Chae told him.

"Would it help if I let you tell me about them?" he offered.

She nodded.

--

In half an hour, Rock Howard knew more about Kim's gym than probably Kim himself. He knew that Jae Hoon and Dong Hwan argued a lot, but they were (almost) always there for each other. He knew that May Lee enjoyed pretending to be a superhero and babysitting Chang and Choi, two reformed criminals who weren't as adamant about Kim's teachings as Jae Hoon, May Lee, and Chae Lim. He knew that Chae had two best friends named Alice and Sonmi, who were both Jae Hoon and Dong Hwan's girlfriends, and swore up and down that Master Kim and Master Jhun's friendly 'rivalry' was more friendly and less rivalry.

Kim's gym sounded hectic, but fun. It sounded like a family. Almost like his; with Terry, Mary, Andy, Mai, and Mary's dog, Anton...

"Did I tell you that Master Jhun is a huge Athena fan?" she blurted out.

He blinked his crimson eyes at her. "Athena...? Asamiya? That pop-idol?" he clarified.

She nodded vigorously. "Yeah. He actually got hit by a car trying to get her new cd and that's why May Lee entered the 2000 tournament with Master Kim." She laughed.

He couldn't help but laugh as well. A hardened Tae Kwon Do master breaking his leg to get an Athena cd... what was the world coming to...

--

King had waved them off when they finally decided to leave the cafe. "Sorry about babbling on like that..." Chae Lim apologized.

"Sugar goes straight to my head."

"Really?" He placed his hands behind his head. "Same here."

"Promise not to tell anyone about Master Jhun... he'd probably kill himself if anyone knew he was an Athena fanboy..." she pleaded.

"Aw, I wouldn't tell..." he promised, then reached over and poked her slim shoulder. "Tag. You're it." He grinned.

"Hey!" She reached out to tag him back, but he hopped away from it.

"Not fair!" She lunged again, and he broke into a sprint.

--

They had weaved through crowds, around mailboxes and lamp posts, and finally darted into the park, laughing like kids. They didn't care what anyone thought of them... they'd both forgotten how much fun it was to be sugar high and chase a friend, and remembering was a gift.

"Ah!" Rock had tripped over a tree root, and fallen to his knees.

Chae Lim turned, wary for a moment, then she walked back to him, offering a gloved hand.

He accepted it and pulled himself up. "You're it again!" He turned away from her, and she jumped onto his back, upset that she had fallen for his trick. He grinned as he grabbed a hold of her legs so she wouldn't fall. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"You're light," he said, amazed.

"Nah, you just forget your own strength. You nearly knocked me into

one of those blue PO boxes when you tagged me back there..." she smiled, resting her chin on his shoulder.

"Seriously?" He felt her nod. "Didn't mean to."

He walked for a while, piggybacking her down one of the trails of the back. Quite suddenly, she said, "Your hair smells nice."

"Uh, thanks," he replied awkwardly.

They fell silent again, but soon he spoke. "Hey, Chae?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"For what?" she asked.

"Today was fun," he answered simply.

She smiled. 'He needs more fun... if he enjoyed a game of tag that much,' she thought to herself.

--


	3. A Wind

**--**

**Perpetual Motion - chapter o2.  
A Wind.**

**by Strike to Incinerate.**

--

Rock was surprised that Jennie didn't bombard him with questions when he got home. Instead, she told him just one thing;

"Alba and Mignon want to go out on a double date tomorrow night."

Inwardly, the blond man groaned; he liked both of them well-enough. Hell, Alba Meira was one of his best friends... and Mignon Beart wasn't that annoying once you got to know her. But everytime he and Jen went on one of those 'double dates' with them, it was bad. Mignon and Alba would argue, then Jen would stick up for Mignon, and if Rock didn't throw his support behind Alba, the guy would be mad at him. And if he did side with Alba, Jen would make him sleep on the couch. Either way, he lost. He was starting to think that these double dates were just ways that Jen and Mignon tortured him and Alba.

"Okay, sounds cool," he replied with a dazzlingly fake smile.

She never asked if he had fun hanging out with Chae Lim. She didn't even ask how it went, just in case it didn't go well.

--

The Red Dragon was a popular new restaurant in Southtown, owned by a man named Lao Chan. Like most popular things, it had a rival; the Black Dragon, owned by a man named Marshall Law. Both were Chinese restaurants, and both were really good. The only problem was... was that Alba liked the Black Dragon, and Mignon liked the Red. They ended up at the Red Dragon restaurant, because he and Jen could not endure Mignon's whining any longer.

The hostess, a young Japanese woman with long, brown black hair and a tag that read 'Aoi' seated them, and their waitress came by shortly. They sat as they usually did; Alba and Mignon on one side, Rock and Jennie on the other, with the girls across from each other so they could chat. Their waitress was a Chinese girl with boyishly short brown hair and a bright smile.

"Hello!" she said cheerily.

"Hi!" Mignon chirped, and Jennie gave her a nod.

"My name's Eileen, and I'll be your waitress!" she told them, pulling out a pen and her little notepad from her apron. "Can I get you anything to drink?" she asked.

Jennie was on another diet, to Rock's dismay, and so she had water. Rock had root beer, and Alba wanted something hard, but Mignon kicked him under the table.

"Ugh... just a Coke, then," he said, shaking his head.

"Um... Mignon wants..." the pink-haired young woman began, "a strawberry smoothie!" she finished.

"Alright, I'll be right back with those!" Eileen said, scampering off.

Rock sighed in relief; Mignon hadn't begun using magic yet, and Alba wasn't ripping up napkins. Maybe the double date would go well for once.

Jennie suddenly sat up straight, a suspiciously sunny smile on her face, her blue eyes dazzling with mischief. "Hey, Chae Lim! Over here!" she called.

Rock's poor heart stopped. What in the _HELL_ was Chae Lim doing at the Red Dragon?

Chae Lim made it past the hostess, jogging over to their table. She was more dressed up than she had been yesterday afternoon; her black and white hair was pulled up into a messy bun, and she wore a slanted dark green skirt and simple blouse with three-quarter sleeves, and black fishnets and heels.

He swallowed, and desperately hoped that it was not HIS mind saying, _'Goddamn, that girl is fine.'_ He hoped he could suddenly read minds, and it was Alba's voice saying that, because if Jennie noticed him staring...

Shit, he was in trouble now.

But oh, the party was just beginning.

Mignon stood up, having happily to someone. "Soiree! Over here!" she called to a man with snow-white hair and baby blue eyes.

Alba was apparently surprised that his brother was there, because his head whipped around, and he asked, "Soiree? What are you doing...?"

Soiree smiled good naturedly as he approached their table, but his eyes soon wandered to Chae Lim, up her legs, then her back side, and it was clear that he couldn't wait to see the front. Rock stifled the urge to stand and punch him. "Mignon invited me. Said that there was a female friend she wanted me to meet..." he explained shortly. Soiree hadn't even bothered to try and dress up; he was wearing his normal baggy blue pants and vest, but at least he'd put on a white t-shirt under it.

Mignon giggled, looking to Jennie for a moment, then to the new arrivals. "Well, technically, she's not Mignon's friend, she's Rock's... But Jennie had this awesome idea that since she's in town and you're single, that you guys should meet!" she said, clapping her hands together.

Rock's crimson gaze turned to his girlfriend. He couldn't even speak... hadn't he told Jennie that he didn't want to set Chae up with Soiree, because Soiree was a player? Didn't she care that he'd use her and break her heart? Obviously not. The depths of his girlfriends selfishness and insecurity amazed him, but he could do nothing about it now.

"I'm Chae Lim," she told him, extending her hand to shake.

Soiree took her hand, and leaned down, kissing it. "Nice to meet you, Chae Lim," he said suavely.

They sat, Chae at one end of the table, and Soiree at the other. After their waitress had returned with drinks and gotten everyone's orders down, the idle banter began, focused on Chae Lim, to Rock's distaste.

"So... how long are you staying in Southtown?" Jennie asked her, carefully concealing how proud she was to have concocted this scheme with Mignon.

Chae Lim, blissfully unaware that she was being set-up for ruin, replied, "I don't know. Just until the new Taekwondo place gets started. Master Kim asked me to take over."

Mignon was next. "Oooh! That sounds so exciting! Do you miss Korea?" she asked.

Chae Lim nodded. "Yeah.. but Southtown's interesting. I've never been to a place so diverse before. I didn't really have time to check it out the last time I was here," she answered.

"Oh yeah, that's right!" Soiree said with a laugh. "You were here for the KOF! You remember her, right bro?" He looked to his brother.

"I didn't recognize you at first... you look much different," Alba agreed.

Suddenly, the tables had turned, and Mignon was demanding from Alba, "How do you know Chae Lim?!"

Alba laughed, patting her knee under the table. "We fought once, during the tournament. She was quite a challenge," he said.

"Thank you," Chae replied, "but you still won."

There was silence for a moment, until the younger Meira twin spoke again.

"But I heard that you monkey-stomped Seth and that metal guy first."

She shrugged. "I wouldn't say I... uh... 'monkey-stomped' them. They gave me a run for my money," she clarified.

"You beat Seth and Maxima... wow. But they're like, twice your size!" Jennie marveled.

"Size doesn't matter. It's all about discipline; even the strongest fighters, if they don't train enough, can lose to a child," she said, serious for a moment.

"Truer words have rarely been spoken," Alba agreed.

Soiree was grinning, and Rock was ready to flip the table over on him.

_'I have got to calm down. Chae Lim seems smart... maybe she'll figure him out before anything happens,'_ he thought. But even the smartest people; doctors, librarians, even assassins, fell for Soiree's boyish looks, laid back demeanor, and roguish charms.

Soon enough, the food arrived, and Rock thought perhaps, if everyone were occupied with the food, he'd be given a chance to relax and enjoy the fact that the evening actually wasn't a disaster; having a new person around kept Mignon and Alba from killing each other. His eyes wandered from his Kung Pao chicken to Chae Lim, who was pushing her steamed pork dumplings and kimchee rice around on her plate, an awkward and embarrassed blush on her cheeks. She was completely focused on her fork moving across the food, making strange, almost runic, designs with it.

He never would have guessed why, if Soiree's foot had accidentally knocked against his under the table.

Discreetly, he glanced under the table cloth, pretending he'd dropped his napkin. Soiree's boot was sliding up Chae Lim's fishnet clad leg.

_'I am going to kill him. He can't make it through one meal without making advances on the only single girl in the restaurant, can he?!'_ he thought, enraged.

He nudged the Angel of Twilight, and muttered, "Stop it."

"Stop what?" Soiree whispered his reply with a grin on his face.

"Stop trying to feel up Chae Lim with your fucking foot before I fucking break it," he growled.

He must have stopped, because Chae Lim looked over at him for a moment, then sighed, and resumed eating her food normally.

The evening ended after Mignon had finished her tiramisu (Mignon didn't eat anything that didn't contain an abnormal amount of sugar). They all stood up, and Alba left the tip on the table. Heading for the entrance/exit, they moved in pairs, but Rock tried to keep close to Chae Lim and Soiree, knowing that they playboy was going to try something.

Jennie's arm curled possessively around his as they stepped out into the cool, freshing night air.

"Nice seeing you again, Chae," Alba said.

"Yeah, it was nice meeting you. We should do this again sometime," Jennie added, not even trying to hide how proud she was that Soiree had wrapped his arm around Chae's waist.

"Oooh, that's such a good idea!" Mignon added, but Rock couldn't disagree more. "You and Soiree look so cute together!"

_'No. No, they don't. That is a very untrue statement.'_

Now, they way Chae Lim blushed, gave an awkward giggle, and looked at the ground... made Rock's knees go weak.

_'Those are just... hormones. She's beautiful, so it's only natural that I react. It doesn't mean I'm going to cheat on Jen or anything,'_ he thought.

"Well, see ya!" Jennie said, dragging him away. Alba led Mignon to his mint-conditional, absolutely amazing, kill-someone-for, convertible, and Chae started to pull away from Soiree.

"Hey... want to go for a walk with me?" Soiree asked, smiling at her.

Rock knew exactly what was coming next; the old 'the night sky's so... euphorical' ploy.

"It's just... the sky... looks so much better at night. There's nothing like seeing it in Southtown anywhere else in the world," he added.

She was hesitant in her reply, but gave in. "Alright."

Together, they walked in the opposite direction, down the sidewalk, Soiree slipping off his jacket and placing it around her shoulders.

When Rock took a glance back, pretending to check for cars at the corner, Soiree had begun showing Chae Lim exactly how to view the sky, standing behind her, and pointing to stars. His fingers grazed her cheek, gently turning her face so he could steal a kiss.

Rock looked away.

Maybe if he were a better voyeur, he would have seen Chae Lim gracefully move away and bid Soiree Meira a polite but quick, "Goodnight."

--

Sorry for the wait. I just lost inspiration for this, and it suddenly returned.

OMG, angst. This fic needed some more of it.

While I am a BIG fan of Chae/Soiree, this is a Rock/Chae, so Soiree is being portrayed as the anti-hero. Plus, he does act like a playboy in MI and 2k6. Ironically, Chae Lim is the only female he doesn't hit on; for her, he uses his standard vs male opening quote. Yes, I am that much of a loser that I would know that.

Please review!


	4. Trip

_Author's Note: Alright, we're finally gettin' into some angst and drama! Whoo hoo! -Victory Dance.- I know, Rock was already bein' angsty, but hey! He's a bag of angst and that's why we love him. Time to give everyone else some angst._

_Still don't own KOF. Still plannin' on shankin' Falcoon for making mah Soiree be kidnapped. As a side note; I felt bad about last chapter, makin' Soiree the bad guy, and not giving Soiree/Chae Lim enough love in general... so I'm working on an angst/fluff oneshot for that pairing. Just a heads up; hopefully, it'll be up in a few days._

_Alright, here's the chapter._

--

**Perpetual Motion - chapter o4.  
****Trip**

--

Jenet was first into the apartment, and it was a good thing, because if she weren't, he would've slammed the door in her face. She turned at the sharp cracking sound, blinking startled emerald eyes at him.

"Well, what was THAT for?!" she asked, as if offended.

She knew damn well what it was for.

"I said that I wasn't going to set Chae up with Soiree," he said firmly, nearly ripping off his jacket and tossing it on the couch.

After this was over, that was going to be where he'd be sleeping, anyway.

"Yeah, I know. So I decided to do it," she replied, brushing her long blond hair over her shoulder.

"Why?! You know what he's like!" he said emphatically.

She rolled her eyes. "God, what is it with you? If she's nice enough for you to spend so much time with, then she should be good enough for Soiree!" she said, folding her arms over her chest.

"Is that what this is about?" he asked. "You're jealous of Chae Lim?"

He knew that one was coming, but it still felt like being blasted by Terry's Buster Wolf, and he knew he deserved it.

"Well, you didn't come home until, like, ten last night!" she said, her voice pouring salt into the new wound.

He winced, then frowned. "Oh, so because I was home just a little bit late, I must have gone back to Chae Lim's place and cheated on you, right?!" he shouted.

He hadn't meant for his voice to get that loud.

"Did you?!" she asked, but she was accusing him.

"What the hell do you think?!"

She was taken aback by that. "Why does it matter if Soiree dates her?" she asked, dodging the question by going back to where they'd started. "He's not a bad guy."

Rock wanted to punch something. Anything that resembled Soiree Meira's face would soon be broken, if he didn't calm down. "How about the fact that he's a hook-up artist? How many of your friends has he hurt?" he asked her.

"Maybe she'll change him," Jennie replied smoothly, heading towards their bedroom door.

_'As if.'_

"She's certainly changed you," she finished, heading inside and closing the door behind her.

Rock's foot connected with the couch, rebounding off the arm and sending him stumbling. He groped for the wall, but fell on his ass.

--

Rock was doing the dishes again when the phone rang. Jenet tossed it to him without warning; she was still pissed about their argument last night. If he hadn't turned and caught it, it would've smashed against the cupboard or fallen in the sink.

"Hey, it's Rock," he said into the phone, letting it rest between his shoulder and cheek, tilting his head.

"Hey, man, it's Soiree," the voice replied.

He wished it had smashed against the cupboard or fallen into the sink.

"What's up?" he asked, carefully masking his annoyance.

"That girl, Chae... why didn't YOU tell me you had such a drop-dead hottie for a friend?!" he demanded, laughing.

_'Because you're a prick.'_

"So, how'd it go with her after we left?" he asked, pretending to hope that it had gone in his 'friends' favor.

"We walked, looked at the stars... I even got a kiss," he said proudly. He'd gotten better on a first date, though.

"Was that all?" Rock asked, trying to sound disappointed, not interrogative.

"Yeah... I forgot to ask for her number," he said, a bit melancholy. "You have it, though, right?"

"Yup. Got a pen?" Rock asked, grinning.

"Sure!"

"Okay. Her number is... 382-5633. Got it?" Rock told him.

Soiree was right as rain. "Thanks man. I owe you one."

"Anytime..." Rock said, hanging up.

_'Wait 'til he finds out that it's a wrong number...'_ he thought with a controlled amount of glee.

It wasn't long before the phone rung again, and the crimson-eyed man wondered if it was Soiree, to bitch him out about the number. He didn't care if it was, but he answered it. "Hey, Rock speaking," he said into the reciever.

The voice was female. "Um... hi," it said nervously.

"Chae?" he asked, momentarily concerned.

"Yeah..." she said. "Listen... you're not mad that things didn't work out between Soiree and I, right?" she asked him.

He blinked, confused. "He said..."

"I wasn't trying to be mean to him!" she said quickly. "I just... he creeped me out, and he was coming on way too strong," she explained. "I know he's your friend and all, but we probably won't be going on another date..."

Rock's heart did a little flip. "He said that you guys really hit it off," he told her. "That you guys kissed..."

She couldn't deny it. There was no way. He'd seen them kissing last night...

She snorted. "He kissed me, and I... I kind of pushed him away..." she replied. "Why didn't you guys tell me that he was so touchy-feely?" she asked him.

Rock laughed. "He's not 'touchy-feely', he's a pervert," he said. "And it wasn't my idea, it was all Mignon and Jennie," he added.

"Oh," she said softly, seeming to understand. "I have to go now..." she said.

"Hey, hey! Why don't we hang out and, I dunno, play basketball or something?" he offered, almost too eagerly.

"Basketball?" she laughed. "I'm really busy, though..." she trailed.

He grinned. "If you were busy, you wouldn't have called."

Oooh, he'd caught her. "Okay, but no basketball. Got anything else in mind?" she asked him.

--

"A motorcycle?" she asked, raising a brow as she stood on the steps of her apartment building. She was shaking her head. "Men..."

"Yeah, Jennie doesn't like it either," he laughed, patting the bike. "But she's a good girl. I bought her and fixed her up and now she runs like a dream..." he said lovingly.

"Oh, no, I like it!" Chae Lim said, coming down the steps and towards the bike. "I've just never been on one before," she explained.

He smiled. "Then today is your lucky day. Hop on," he offered.

"You do have helmets, right?" she asked, straddling the bike behind him. He handed one to her, and she placed it on her head, strapping it closed.

"You don't trust me at all..." he sighed playfully.

"Oh, I trust _you_, I just don't trust any vehicle without doors or seatbelts..." she quipped.

He cranked the handles and suddenly took off, causing her to scream and latch onto him in surprise. He jumped a bit. "Not so tight... you're not going to fall off..." he told her.

"It feels like I am, though..." she mumbled against his jacket.

Odd, how he had once imagined doing exactly the same thing with Jennie, but she was too afraid of the bike.

"So where are we going, anyway?" she asked him, her voice a bit louder.

He spoke over the roar of the bike and the wind, which whipped through his shaggy blond hair, "We're going to a farmer's market. I know it sounds weird, but trust me, you'll like it!" he said.

Chae Lim didn't have the foggiest idea what he was talking about, but she tightened her arms around his waist and held on for the ride.

--

She seemed amazed by the rows of cart holding fresh fruit and vegetables, and hopped off the bike, throwing the helmet onto the handlebars as soon as he came to a stop. The air smelled fresh and clean, with just a hint of apple and cinnamon; someone's mother or grandmother was probably making apple crisp on a camping stove. His mouth watered.

"This place is so..." she looked over at him. "I'm too excited about something like this, aren't I?" she asked, her gray eyes sparkling bright.

He laughed, nodding. He held up his hand, a small space between his thumb and pointer finger. "Just a little bit," he agreed.

"Are places like these everywhere in America?" she asked him.

He blinked, batting crimson eyes at her. "They don't have farmer's markets like this in Korea...?" he asked her.

She shook her head. "In some places... but rarely in Seoul. And it's never this big," she replied.

"Come on, then. Let's get you some food," he said, taking her hand and leading her towards the first stand.

Her cheeks heated up, and he thought he knew why; had she suddenly felt warm and embarrassed, too?

"It'll be a waste... I can't cook at all..." she mumbled, looking at the ground.

Again, she surprised him. "Is that it?" he asked, dropping her hand. Even if they were only friends, they probably shouldn't be holding hands. "I'll have to cook for you sometime. I'm not trying to brag or anything... but I've been told that I'm pretty good at it..." he said sheepishly.

She smiled, her gaze returning to him. "Really? That'd be great! You should bring Jennie and your friends over to my apartment! We could all have dinner!" she said.

For some reason, he was disappointed by that suggestion, but it didn't take him long to figure out why. A big part of him had wanted it to be... just them.

_'I shouldn't be envisioning Chae sitting across from me with candles on the table and a perfect meal...'_ he thought, stuffing his hands into his pockets. But his mind kept going, against his will. Maybe part of him did want to think about it, though. Would she smile at him and laugh at his lame jokes, and console him when he said that he'd lost two-on-two pick-up to Terry and Alba again? Would she say that it was probably Soiree's fault, for paying more attention to the girl across the street in the short skirt who was having trouble unlocking her car?

Jennie never said those things.

Near the end, would she lean in for a quick kiss and then help him clean off the table? (It was rare that Jennie even said 'thank you' when he cooked, and so they usually had Chinese. How funny that she would say thank you to the delivery boy, give him a wink and slowly shut the door...)

"Got a new girlfriend, eh Rock?" someone asked him.

He snapped out of his reverie, something he should've done five minutes ago. He shouldn't have been thinking about dinner for two, him and Chae, at all. He felt his cheeks heat up again. "No, sir," he said, trying to laugh it off. "This is Chae Lim," he finished.

Chae Lim made a small bow to the owner of the cart. "Pleased to meet you!" she said pertly.

The man cocked a brow. "Chinese girl...?" he asked.

"South Korean," she corrected gently. "I'm in Southtown, running a dojo for my Master," she explained.

The man laughed, deep and hearty. He was older, named Bill, and he was usually at the farmer's market when Rock went to get produce. "You still with that blond girl?" he asked Rock.

Rock nodded, feeling almost guilty.

"She's not nearly as polite as this one, though you gotta' get her to stop bowing. Shakin' hands is how we do it in America," Bill said, extending his hand.

Chae Lim shook it. "Deepest apologies, sir," she said.

The man laughed again. "She's mighty cute, too, for a foreigner. Maybe you should dump that other girl, and take up with this one," he suggested. "She seems much more easy-goin'."

Chae Lim made a soft gasp, her cheeks bright red, and said quickly, "Rock and I are just friends. We met at the KOF."

That turned the middle-aged man serious for a moment. "You one-a Kim Kaphwan's students?" he asked her.

Rock exhaled deeply. _'Here we go...'_

Chae Lim nodded proudly. "Yes, I am!"

"Could you get me his autograph? The kids and I watch all the tournaments, and he's their favorite. Do you know when that May Lee girl is going to come back? My son has quite the crush on her. You kinda look like her. You wanna meet 'im?" he asked.

"No, thank you," Chae said, quite shocked. Master Kim, apparently, was more famous than she'd realized. "But I'll see what I can do," she finished.

"Good girl!" Bill nudged Rock across the counter. "I think she likes ya," he said with a goodnatured wink.

Rock shook it off. "Can we just get some carrots and apples?" he asked.

"Ya eat like a horse..." Bill mumbled, but got them for him anyway. "There ya go. Say hi to Terry for me, and tell him that he and Mary need to settle down already. I won't have 'im playin' games with my little girl's heart," he said, shaking a finger at the poor blond now. "They've been datin' and not-datin' for forever. It's about damn time he popped the question, I don't care if he's a Lone Wolf," Bill finished.

Chae Lim laughed nervously; this guy was quite straight-forward and opinionated. Rock gave a quick nod, and led her away.

"Who's Mary?" she whispered.

"Blue Mary Ryan. She's the best cop in Southtown, and Terry's girlfriend... when she can catch him," Rock replied, moving the hair out of his eyes.

Chae Lim smiled. "Sounds nice... is she your mother?" he asked.

Rock froze for a moment. Mary wasn't nearly old enough to be his mom... well, she was, but, she didn't look her age. "I guess you could say that. Ever since Terry took me in... she's been there for me. My mom's name was Marie, though..." he said. The topic of Mary was a bit touchy for him; she wasn't his mother. His mother was Marie Heinlein, the one who'd gave birth to him and raised him until he was six, and she died. But Mary... Mary was nice. She was there for him when he was little, and she and Mai Shiranui would babysit him when Andy and Terry were busy. She was like a mother to him... but he could never bring himself to call her 'Mom'. It just seemed disrespectful to his mother, and Marie Heinlein, even if she was gone, would always be his mother.

She must've gotten the feeling that it was a sensitive subject, because Chae didn't ask him anything else about her. "How'd you become friends with Alba and Soiree Meira, anyway?" she asked.

That was a considerably more talkable subject. "Oh, them? I met them at the KOF, too... but I'd seen them around town. They were gangsters, but they were dedicated to making Southtown a better place again... and they've sort of succeeded. Alba might seem kind of cold, and Soiree might seem kind of air-headed, but they're all heart. They're the best," he said, smiling. As their friend, and a fellow person who loved Southtown... he was proud of them.

She nodded. "That's a wonderful turnabout," she agreed.

"What about you? I know that you guys all shared the same house, but how'd you become friends with May Lee and Dong Hwan and Jae Hoon?" he asked.

She wrung her hands together. "May Lee... well, she's actually older than me, although she doesn't seem it. She's two years my senior. She joined the dojo about the same time that I did... Master Kim informally adopted her, because her parents died in a terrible shooting. That's why she wanted to fight evil," she said softly. "And Jae Hoon... he was the first person to be nice to me..."

_'First love,'_ he guessed.

"Everyone used to pick on me, because I kept my hair short. The girls said I looked like a boy, and the boys said that I was still a girl, so they wouldn't hang around with me. Jae Hoon joined our class... I think Master Kim moved him in there just to help me. That's exactly what he did; he told everyone else to stop picking on me, or he'd teach them not to judge people. He wasn't much better at Taekwondo than everyone else then; he was only five. Everyone listened to him, though," she said, a small smile coming to her face.

_'She probably misses them a lot... more than I guessed.'_

"May Lee then came in, and we became sparring partners. We were best friends for a long time, until she went to the KOF... I started to hang out with Alice and Sonmi, because Alice was Jae Hoon's girlfriend, and Sonmi was her best friend... Dong Hwan's such a different story. He only became friends with me to try and make Jae Hoon mad, but Jae was so happy that his big brother was being nice that it didn't work. We really became friends when we were teenagers and he liked May Lee, though," she said with a laugh.

He liked that laugh.

"Did Kim adopt you, too?" he asked.

Chae Lim shook her head, but didn't say anything. She changed the subject, pointing to another cart full of fruit, and asked, "Can we go check that one out?"

He was taken aback; she didn't usually dodge his questions. Of course, he was just starting to get to know her, but she didn't seem like that kind of person... "Sure," he said, but inside, he was so curious.

_'Why did Chae Lim end up moving into Kim's dojo, if he didn't adopt her like he did for May Lee?'_ he thought, as he helped her sort through pears, apples, oranges and cherries to find the perfect ones.

--

OMG, fear the future Chae Lim angst. I'm so glad that I got my inspiration back for this story. I might actually finish something with more than four chapters for once!! -so excited about that.-

Please leave me a review. Pleeeeeease? It makes me so happppppyyyyyy!

Oh, wait... WHOEVER CAN GUESS WHAT THE NUMBER ROCK GAVE TO SOIREE MEANS, GETS LOVE FOREVER FROM ME. It's not that hard to guess... but yeah, just givin' you guys something to do, and a reason to review me. I'm out now.


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